READING: Acts 23-26
I’ve seen it more than once over the years. Great life change as result of the gospel, that is.
I saw it in some folks I led to the Lord as a pastor—including a man known as “the meanest guy you’ll ever meet” who became one of the sweetest guys I ever knew. I saw it both my parents, who were so changed by the gospel that they were almost weird in their last years 😊. God just does that as He transforms lives, you know.
Today, I read that truth again in the life of the Apostle Paul. As he presented his story to King Agrippa, here’s how he described his pre-conversion life: “I myself was convinced that it was necessary to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. I actually did this in Jerusalem, and I locked up many of the saints in prison, since I had received authority for that from the chief priests. When they were put to death, I was in agreement against them.In all the synagogues I often punished them and tried to make them blaspheme. Since I was terribly enraged at them, I pursued them even to foreign cities” (Acts 26:9-11). It’s almost impossible to read those words and not sense Saul’s vehemence against the early believers.
But, then, Christ unexpectedly intervened in Saul’s life. Everything changed when he met Jesus, and he became the apostle extraordinaire faithfully proclaiming the Word: “I preached to those in Damascus first, and to those in Jerusalem and in all the region of Judea, and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works worthy of repentance” (Acts 26:20)—even if it would cost him his life.
So, I say it again: the gospel just does that, you know.
PERSONAL REFLECTION: Who in your life do you want God to change so clearly?
PRAYER: “Father, I am asking You to intervene with clarity in _____________’s life today.”
MONDAY’S READING: Acts 27-28, Romans 1-2